Negative Space is reminiscent of the existential dread present in Todd Haynes’ [Safe], and there’s a reason for that. Meyers had a major digestive organ effectively kick the bucket and after having it removed, it left him with an affliction that will affect him until the day he shuffles off this mortal coil. Negative Space is the empty space around a composition that defines it and Meyers posits that this is a narrative of recovery – an often long period (or what can seem like aeons) of desire for normality in a mental, physical, spiritual sense or any combination of the three. Recovery is a waiting game, much like this album.

As it goes on, digging through the soil, you can begin to see the light of the sun peak through the cracks… let’s say empty spaces in “Exit Interview,” the second to last track. “Indifference Curve,” the closer, incorporates a droning organ fit for the most lavish of funerals and as it approaches its own end, you can hear what sounds like a toothbrush and maybe a washcloth – a cleansing of the self from the filth you’ve dug yourself out of. Listen toÂ Negative SpaceÂ below via the Bandcamp player and see what you think of it. Cheers!

The Details

LP Available Feb 2016 from Sympathy Limited.

The concept of â€śnegative spaceâ€ť in composition is the empty space that defines the compositions subjectâ€”this past year is the negative space that defines my future. This record is an acousmatic narrative of my â€śnegative spaceâ€ť.

Late spring 2014 my body had something to tell meâ€”after a month of tests, pain, and exhaustion I passed out in our hallway the same day I was discharged from the hospital to recover at home. A major digestive organ had perforated and needed to come out; I had emergency surgery that night. What I am left with is a physical affliction I will carry with me the rest of my life.

Unable to exert myself I had to adjust my music production techniquesâ€”I embraced my computer, contact microphones, and portable Zoom recorder. Much of what makes up the bulk of natural sound was captured and directly related to my physical restrictions and recovery. These field recordings were arranged with existing recordings and later expanded upon with synthesizer accompaniment once I had recovered further. The end result is 8 compositions which take themes and methods from my previous work to form a cohesive electroacoustic statement and narrative of recovery.
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released February 5, 2016
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tags: electronic experimental acousmatic avant garde electroacoustic experimental Minneapolis
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